


Group Home

by 2nerd4this



Category: Agents of SHIELD - Fandom, Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Basically all the main characters from both shows, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff, Foster Care, Kids, Most everyone is a kid, Romance, dad phil, mama may
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 10:16:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19885963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2nerd4this/pseuds/2nerd4this
Summary: Picture This:Phil Coulson runs a group foster home for "problem kids". Melinda May is hired to help watch the 22 kids. Angst, fluff, and maybe a bit of romance ensues.**Sadly, this story has been discontinued. Please read the last chapter for an explanation and keep a look out for my next, similar, story.💜





	1. Step of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted fic, so bare with me. The first couple chapters will be mostly exposition and setup. Also, despite my multiple family members who have been in the system and my desire to work in the adoption system after college, I know embarrassingly little about how it actually works, so if anyone has any critiques or comments, please let me know.  
> Anyway, enjoy!

Melinda May was not ready for this. Sure, she had accepted this job, but the closer she got the the group home, the more she doubted herself. Yeah, she loved kids and wanted nothing more than to be able to provide a couple underprivileged kids a loving home, but running the female half of the largest group home in Northern Illinois was a big step from being an emergency foster parent.

Bright Beginnings, as it was called, housed over 20 kids and usually run by a married couple. The man would be in charge of the boys, the woman the girls, but since the wife of the current owner had left her husband, the poor man had been trying his best to keep the home afloat. Melinda had been contacted by her friend David Rossi as he was frantically looking for a capable single woman to watch the 12 girls at the home. She had hesitantly accepted, and now here she was, pulling into the driveway of the large 2 story house. 

May took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. She grabbed her bags from the trunk and walked slowly to the front door, knocking on the large oak door. She heard faint rushed footsteps and the door swung open, revealing a tall blond girl. The girl, no older than 12, smiled and waved, moving aside to let the woman in. 

"You must be Miss May. I'll go get  
Phi-, sorry, Mr Coulson." The girl walked off, leaving May to take in her surroundings. A couple steps forward revealed the large open living room with photos on the walls and toys littering the floor. The girl had gone down the hallway to the right, which May assumed led to the kitchen and dining room. To her left was a couple doors and two staircases, one going up and the other to the basement. Baby gates gaurded the steps. May smiled slightly. No one would doubt the presence of many children in this house, especially as May began to hear loud voices from downstairs. Suddenly a small boy ran right in front of Melinda, startling her greatly. 

"Lincoln! Don't run inside!" A loud, but oddly gentle voice echoed from the hallway the boy had come from. A man, the owner of the voice, May guessed, emerged from where the girl had disappeared. He watched as the boy slowed to a walk and struggled with the baby gate for a moment, before succeeding and descending the stairs. The girl followed the man out of the hallway and stood to one side, watching May curiously. The man turned to May as well and smiled widely at her. 

"Ah. You must be Melinda May. Sorry about the mess. And the craziness. And, well, yeah. Anyway, welcome to our humble abode. I'm Phil Coulson. I'm currently finishing up dinner, but Bobbi here can show you to your room and give you a quick tour. I'll introduce you to the kids before bedtime and we can talk more in depth after that. Ok?"

"That would be great, thanks. Don't worry about the mess, I wouldn't expect much different with two dozen kids running around."

"Just 22 now, actually. Two have moved since Audrey left. Anyway, yeah. I'll see you later. Bobbi?" 

And with that, Phil turned and walked back toward the smell of cooking chicken. The girl, Bobbi, smiled at him and stepped toward May.

"Yes sir. Here, ma'am. I can help carry your bags." 

"You can just call me May, dear. And thank you very much. Bobbi, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I mean, Miss May. Your room is upstairs. I can show you"

Bobbi grabbed May's large suitcase and her duffel bag. She fumbled with the baby gate for a second before holding it open for May to go up. May flashed her a small smile and walked up the stairs, closely followed by the girl. When she reached the top, Bobbi motioned for her to go down the long hallway to her right. She passed two closed doors, bedrooms, she assumed, and a bathroom before reaching the end of the hallway. To her left was a large room. Bobbi walked in first and set her bags down by the bed. 

"Um, do you want me to leave so you can get settled or do you want the tour now?"

"Now is good. I can get settled later. Lead the way Bobbi." May set down her bags on the large queen bed and followed the tall girl out the door. Bobbi led her down the hall, explaining that this hallway was dedicated to the older girls, 12 and older. There were two rooms, both with colorful signs on the doors that May hadn't noticed earlier. One read "Tara, Kate, &Alex", the other "Emily&Elena".  
Bobbi very proudly informed May that she would be moving in with Emily and Elena when she turned 12 in three months. May smiled at that, only slightly surprised that the girl who easily had 2 inches on May was only 11. When Bobbi caught May's smirk, she blushed and quickly stopped talking, hastily showing her the bathroom and continuing on down the hallway. May's face fell and she felt a pang of sadness. These poor kids are so fearful of every adult they meet. She will have to be extra patient and caring in order to prove to them just how much she loves them. 

She follows Bobbi as she leads her back to the staircase and down the other hallway. The first door on their left was open and revealed a lounge looking area with couches, toys, and a tv. Farther down the hall was another bathroom and two more bedrooms, housing kids under 12, as Bobbi explained. These doors held similar signs to the first. One read "Bobbi, Penny, &JJ." Another paper under it read "Blond Gang." Bobbi seemed to relax a little when she saw May smiling at the sign. The other door read "Daisy, Jemma, Elle, & Ashley", but Elle was crossed out with a large smiley face next to it. 

"Elle's grandpa came two days ago and took her home to Indiana. We're all super happy for her, but kinda sad too. Kids don't leave here much. Phil, er, Mr Coulson says it's cause we are a family already, but it's actually cause they send the problem kids here and no one wants us." 

Bobbi drifted off, seemingly far away in her mind. May patiently watched her, her own mind processing the situation these kids were in. After a minute, Bobbi seemed to come back to earth and, slightly embarrassed, beconned May to follow her back downstairs and into the basement. They passed a couple children as they descended who were playing tag, but the game seemed to pause and the kids all shrank back, watching May intently. She gave a little wave and smile, but their eyes were full of distrust. Bobbi whispered something to the small brunette girl who was "it". The little girl looked at May and smiled. Their game resumed as Bobbi and May made it to the bottom of the stairs.

The downstairs had the same setup as the top floor. The two doors in the older boy's hallway had signs that read "Aaron, Grant, &Mack" and "Derek, Luke, &Morgan." At the end of the hallway as a door with Phil's name on it. The other hallway had a door that read "Lance, Deke, &Trip". Bobbi explained that Trip had left earlier that day with his dad. 

"He was just a temporary. It's alright though, cause his dad is super nice" 

The other door read "Leo, Lincoln, &Spencer." There was a similar lounge as upstairs, with a tv and chairs. There were a few more kids in there, watching Backyardigans. May knew the name of the show as soon as the theme song played, as her last foster kids had watched it every Saturday. 

They returned to the man floor, and Bobbi procedeed to show May the main floor bathroom, the large laundry room, the storage closet, and the door to the garage. The living room had a large glass door that led to a deck. The backyard was surrounded by trees so dense that May couldn't see what was on the other side.

"Through those woods is a big cemetery that we play in sometimes. There's also a creek and a cool clearing where we can play soccer." 

Finally Bobbi led her to the kitchen and dining room. There was a large table with benches on all 4 sides and a island with 6 tall chairs. Even so, May imagined that meal times were fairly crowded. Mr Coulson was on the other side of the island in a pink apron, dishing up chicken and rice into bowls. He finished the last bowl and turned to May, his seemingly everpresent smile still plastered on his face.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melinda meets the kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry, this chapter is mostly just introductions and setup. It's definitely not my best work, but I promise it will get better in future chapters

"Perfect timing! Thank you so much Bobbi. Would you be so kind to go ring the dinner bell?"  
Bobbi nodded and opened a nearby cabinet, grabbing a triangle and walking to the steps. Soon after the ring sounded throughout the house, tiny footsteps could be heard coming from every direction. May took a step back as kids seemed to come out of nowhere and barreled toward her, but they all stopped in the hallway and quickly lined up against the wall. May stood dumbstruck for a second, and then smiled at the kids. They were all watching her with curious and slightly suspicious expression. 

"They line up in age order for breakfast, reverse age order for lunch, and we change the order for dinner. Today it's height, tallest to shortest." Phil muttered to May.

His eyes roamed over the kids as he did a quick headcount and leaned back against the wall to wait for the two stragglers. May observed the kids, who had started talking amongst themselves. In the front was a brunette boy, at least a head and a half taller than May. He had dark eyes and wore a oddly clean white shirt and black dress pants. A few kids back from him was Bobbi, who despite her age was one of the tallest kids. She was playing 'I spy' with the little brunette girl she had whispered to earlier on the steps. At the very end was a tiny boy with his nose in book that looked much to big for him. The baby gate banged as a small, darker skinned girl around the same age as the book boy and the blond boy who had run by May earlier came downstairs and joined the line, the girl at the very end. Phil smiles and stepped forward as the kids quickly reformed the orderly line from before. 

"Alright guys. We're gonna take a quick second and introduce ourself to Miss May here, ok? Just go down the row and say your name and age and whatever else you want to say about yourself. Tomorrow you guys can get to know her better. May, you're first." 

"What about you Phil?" piped an adorable little blond in the middle of the row.

"Oh sorry, Jayje. Right. I'll go first, then May, then Aaron and so on and so forth." He smiled widely and the girl giggled. "I'm Phil Coulson, the kids call me Phil or Mr Phil, and I'm, uh.... 7 years old." The girl giggled again, as did a couple other kids. "and I'm the boss man at this mansion, well, co-boss man, well woman, or person. Yeah" The kid's laughter got louder and Phil's grin grew. May smiled and waited patiently until it quieted down. 

"I'm Melinda May. You can call me May or Miss May. I'm older than 7, and I guess I'm going to be co-boss man-woman-person." This drew a few grins from the younger kids and May looked expectantly at the boy in front.

"I'm Aaron Hotchner, I'm 17, and I'm the oldest. And tallest. Obviously." 

"Yeah well, I'm Grant Ward and I'm 16 and I'm almost the tallest." Grant was right, he was almost as tall as Aaron. He had dark, messy brown hair and was obviously very fit. He had a very offputting expression that made May's spine tingle.

"I'm Alex Blake, I'm 16, and I dunno. I guess, well I speak 4 languages, so that's cool. I'm teaching JJ and Bobbi" Alex was tall as well, with long dark hair and very wise eyes. The fact that she spoke 4 languages did not surprise May at all.

"I'm Mack, I'm 14, and I like cars." The next boy, Mack, was tall(duh), dark skinned, and muscular. May noted that he hadn't given his full name.

"I'm Tara Lewis, I'm 15, and, uh, I'm a temporary. My moms coming back soon." She was dark skinned as well, as well as fairly skinny and well built. Eventually May was going to talk to someone about what "a temporary" was, but she had an idea.

"I'm Elena, I'm 14, and you can call me Yo-Yo." This girl had a Hispanic accent to go along with her long black hair and brown skin. 

"Bobbi Morse, 11, and, uh, I like learning languages too. And fighting." This comment earned her a pointed glance from Phil, to which she hung her head. 

"Matt Simmons, I'm 13, and I've lived in 3 different countries." This boy had darker skin and slick brown hair. He had wise eyes like the other girl, Alex, that made May want to trust him instantly. 

"I'm Kate, I'm 14, and I have a sister, but she's with my dad." She had long brown hair and far away, sad eyes. May smiled at her kindly, which she returned.

"Derek Morgan, 12, and I'm into sports." Derek was muscular and dark-skinned, with short black hair and dark eyes. He gave off a gentle giant vibe, even if he was shorter than May.

"I'm Luke Alvez, I'm 12, and I like dogs." This boy also had darker skin and curly brown hair. He seemed like a dog person. May held back a smirk.

"Emily, I'm 12, and I, uh, I like to read." Small and brunette, with dark eyes and a kind face, Emily also looked very wise. Too many of these kids seemed wise beyond their years.

"I'm Lance Hunter, 11, and I like fighting too. And dogs too. And.." He was cut off by a sharp look from both Phil and Bobbi, who looked both amused and exasperated. May wanted to hear the story on that. Lance was brunette (May was noticing a pattern) and had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Deke, I'm 10, and I'm a problem kid"  
"Hey" Phil shot him his now-familiar look and Deke shrugged. Phil sighed and gestured for the next kid to continue. 

"I'm Penelope Garcia, or Penny. I'm 10 and I love computers. And colors. And hacking. And, oh sorry" Penny was bright. Her clothes, her hair, her glasses. Everything was so bright. It kinda scared May, but it was also weirdly refreshing. May smiled at her. Penny returned the gesture.

"I'm JJ. I'm 9, and Jemma told me that Bobbi told her that you're kinda nice. Are you?" May's heart melted a little bit, and her eyes roam over the other 21 kids who are all watching her intently, holding their breath. Bobbi's face has turned pink and looks slightly afraid.

"Well JJ, I think that I'm nice, but I think that's something I'm going to have to prove to you guys, right? So, just, let me know what you think in a couple days, ok?" JJ nodded hesitantly and looked at the next girl.

"I'm Ashley Seaver, I'm 8, and I like princesses." The girl was small for her age with long blond hair and distrusting eyes. She was an odd mixture of innocent and traumatized.

"I'm Lincoln, I'm 6, and I like the Flash. He's cool" Lincoln was blond as well, with determined fiery eyes. He seemed oddly protective of the kids behind him. May recognized the obvious bond between the scarred kids.

"I'm Jemma Simmons, no relation to Matt, I'm 5 and this is Leo, but he doesn't talk much. It's ok though cause we're both really smart." Jemma had an adorable British accent and May recognized her as the girl from the tag game earlier. She seemed extremely protective of the boy next to her, Leo. Despite her words, she seemed more honest than arrogant, as if she was just stating facts, which it seemed she was.

"I'm Spencer, and I like to read too. And I'm smart like Fitzsimmons. That's those two. Oh yeah, and I'm 4." This was the book boy, and his vocabulary stunned May. He was definitely incredibley smart, if not a little genius.

The little girl on the end just waved and pointed to the flower on her shirt. "That's Daisy" said Bobbi. "She doesn't like to talk to strangers. She's 4 too"

"Yeah, like the rest of us love introducing ourselves to weird people we've never met before like we are cows at a cattle show." Muttered the oldest, Aaron

"Shut up Aaron, Bobbi says she might be nice and we don't want to wreck it" JJ hissed at him, leaning across to see him. Aaron opened his mouth to deliver a scathing retort, but May interrupted. 

"It's alright JJ, I am a stranger. It's perfectly normal for you not to trust me, just like it's perfectly normal for me not to trust you guys. That's not going to stop me from caring about you." May shot a pointed look at Aaron before giving Daisy a quick wave and bright smile. JJ stuck her tongue out at Aaron, who just muttered under his breath and glared back. Phil clapped his hands together and took a deep breath.

"Well, that went well. Thank you kids. Alright. Grab a bowl and a cup and sit down."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and critique!


	3. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May wakes in the night to soft cries. Her first step to gaining the kid's trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May will be a bit out of character in this story just because of how I write her.

Melinda retired to her room after dinner to unpack, still marveling at how calm and smooth dinner was. The kids had all sat down and eaten their food with little commotion or fighting. They seemed to get along fairly well, despite the close quarters and their previous disagreements. Phil had a good handle on them, in a good way. They all seemed to trust him and he seemed to care about them. May hoped dearly that her presence didn't interrupt this pleasant situation. She would try her best to be a good guardian to these kids, and a good partner to Phil.

The kids had finished eating, put their dishes in the dishwasher, and gone to their rooms to get ready for bed. While it was only 7pm, the littles seemed to be winding down and the older kids were tactful enough to be calm and quiet. May could hear the girls in the room next to her playing quiet music and the shower water running in the bathroom. By the time she was done unpacking, everyone on her floor seemed to be asleep or relaxing quietly. Around 8:30, a soft knock sounded on her door and Phil entered, after politely waiting for an invitation, of course.

"You settling in all right?"

"Yeah, great thanks. I would have been more than willing to help you get the kids ready for bed, you know."

"Nah, it's fine. I've been doing it alone for the past three weeks, one more night can't hurt. Plus, I think it's best for you to get to know them better first."

"Yeah, I understand. They all seem like really sweet kids."

"They really are" said Phil with a small smile. "They'll love you, I promise."

"How do you know, you don't know me either" May chuckled. Phil snorted.

May and Phil soon remedied that by spending the next two hours getting to know each other and going over details about the home and it's operation. May had arrived at a fairly convenient time, as it was in the middle of summer and she could spend time with the kids before they went back to school. Coulson had refused to give May too many details about the kids specifically, explaining that those were things May could learn from the kids themselves. May understood perfectly, and as Phil left, bidding May a good night, she resolved to prove to the kids that she was trustworthy and, as a certain 11 year old said, "kinda nice".

May was woken abruptly by distant cries. She hastily rolled out of bed and slipped out of her room, following the noise. She rounded the corner into the little's hallway and saw the closest door ajar. Pushing it open, she revealed Bobbi holding a crying JJ against her chest. May gently sat next to the girls, who were up against the wall on the bottom bunk of one of the two bunk beds in the room. Bobbi and May had to duck to fit, but neither seemed to mind. Bobbi looked at May and gave a halfhearted smile.

"Nightmare. She does this a lot, it's ok. She's, well, I dunno. She's got some ghosts in her past. We're the problem kids, I told you. Penny went to go comfort the little littles. You know, Jemma and them. They wake up when JJ cries, and Penny always helps put them back to sleep." 

"Ok. Thanks Bobbi. You're doing amazing. And for the record, nightmares are perfectly normal, not a problem at all. Ok JJ? Yeah? You're alright." May cooed at the small blond. She rested a hand on the small of her back and rubbed gently. JJ's sobs quieted and she drew herself up, smiling faintly at May. She hesitated for a second, then wrapped her arms around May, who froze for a split second, then returned the gesture. Bobbi leaned against the wall and looked on, a small smile still on her face. May rubbed JJ's back softly and whispered quietly to her. 

"Is that Mandarin?" JJ released May, blushing slightly and looked up at her. 

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Alex is going to teach us. She knows English, Spanish, Swedish, and Mandarin." Bobbi piped up.

"That's awesome. I can help if you want. I love teaching kids languages."

"Ok! I mean, if you're serious." JJ said as she ran her hand through her hair and wiped her face.

"100 percent. I never say anything I don't mean. So, girls. Is everyone ok now?" They both nodded and Bobbi slid off the bed.

"Thank you so much Miss May. It's been a while since someone came to help. Phil has been trying his best to check in on us, but he does sleep all the way downstairs. And Audrey was a heavy sleeper. So, yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go check on Penny and the kids." Bobbi blushed a little and left the room. 

"Yeah thanks Miss May. My nightmares are getting a lot better, I promise. I'm good now, you can go if you want." JJ crawled under the covers as May stood up. 

"It's no problem sweetheart. I can stay until you fall asleep if you want." May kneeled by the girl's head and smiled. JJ blanched a little before nodding hesitantly. May smiled and settled onto the floor, running her hand through the girl's hair and singing softly. Bobbi and Penny entered the room and quietly closed the door. Penny watched May curiously as she settled back into bed and Bobbi smiled at her and then nodded to May, before climbing the ladder and getting into bed above JJ. 

A short ten minutes later, all three girls had drifted off and May slipped out of the room and carefully shutting the door. 

The next morning May woke before all the girls and made her way downstairs. She wasn't surprised in the least to find Phil in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

"Good morning" Phil greeted her without looking back.

"Morning. You always up this early?"

"Every day. Earlier on school days. It comes with the job. How did you sleep?"  
Phil set down the spoon he was using to stir pancake batter and sat on a stool. May followed suit.

"Good. I woke in the middle of the night though. JJ had a nightmare."

"Oh no. I try my best to be there if the kids need me, but my room is so far away. Do you know if that's a regular occurrence? No one told me anything."

"Yeah, it is. I guess the girls just didn't want to bother you. It's alright. Bobbi and Pen seem like super efficient and caring girls. They seemed to fare well without you." Phil handed May a glass of milk and flashed his famous smile.

"Oh thanks. Just what every parent dreads. When there kids don't need them anymore"

"Oh no, no. That's not at all what I meant. I am so sorry, oh my gosh. Geez, I'm so inconsiderate in the morning. I'm sorry." May stood up and smoothed our her nightgown, flustered.

"Melinda. It's ok. I know, I was joking. It's alright, I'm sorry." Phil grabbed May's arm and led her back to the stool.

"Oh, ok. Thanks Phil. I'm just a mess. I just think that those kids are amazing resourceful. You've done a great job with them. Dad." Melinda added that last bit teasingly. 

"Thank you Mel. Can I call you Mel?"

"Sure" May smiled at Phil as they both got up to finish preparing breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated!


	4. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May experiences her first breakfast with the kids.

Phil and May chatted while finishing breakfast. It turns out Phil was a master chef. May not so much. That was no surprise to her, of course, but she was a little hesitant to reveal that shortcoming to Phil. Much to May's relief, he didn't mention it once. Overall, Phil seemed like a great guy. Kind, funny, caring, great with kids, good cook. May shook her head. This guy literally broke up with his wife three weeks ago. Well more like she broke up with him. Either way, these thoughts were highly inappropriate. Luckily her mental rambling was cut short as the sound of small feet and cute voices could be heard from the direction of the bedrooms. May finished dishing up the last of the pancakes and setting them on the table while Phil cleaned out the bowl.

"Phil! Phil! Guess what, guess what!!" A small blond that May vaguely recognized as Ashley rushed in and ran right up to Phil.

"Hmm. Let me guess Ash.... I think... I think that Penny got replaced by a dragon and now you need my help to get her back." Phil knelt down and bopped the girl on the nose.

"No, that's silly Phil. Look! I lost a tooth!" Ashley held out her hand, grinning from ear to ear, and the missing tooth was obvious. It was adorable. Phil took it from her and examined it.

"Really? Sure this isn't a dragon tooth?" He stood up and put the tooth in a ziploc bag, securely tucking it into his back pocket. 

"No Phil! That's my tooth. See??" Ashley grabbed Phil's hand and brought him down again, I pointing to her mouth.

"Oh yes. Now I see. How silly of me. Congrats Ashley! Now come on. Breakfast is ready." 

Ashley plopped down on one of the benches and grabbed a pancake from the stack. She didn't glance at May once, either not noticing her or purposefully ignoring her. 

"I thought the kids like, lined up for meals or something?" May turned to Phil, who was still smiling at the little girl.

"Oh yeah. Not during the summer, at least not for breakfast. With such a range of kids, who knows when they will wake up. It's a miracle if over three quarters of them eat breakfast."

"Teenagers." Mel laughed. Phil joined in.

"You talking about me?"

May and Phil turned to see Elena standing in the doorway.

"Are you a teenager?" May asked. The girl nodded, grinning. "Then yes. We were talking about you." Elena smirked and sat down across from Ashley. She piled pancakes on her plate as Ashley forgot hers momentarily to show Elena the gap left by her tooth. Phil patted May's arm.

"You're a natural." He whispered in her ear.

"Thanks." She mumbled back. She was still watching Elena. It was all too easy to forget that these kids weren't actually family. Well, at least legally, May corrected herself. No matter what Bobbi said, from the short time she had been there, May could tell they all loved each other and that they all fit together perfectly. She just hoped there was room for her. 

For the second time that morning her thoughts were cut off by children's voices. This time, there was a consistent trickle of kids coming in for breakfast. 10 minutes later and the dining room was almost full. Phil sat down next to one of the boy and started to eat. May decided to follow suit and sat down next to Ashley.

"Congrats on losing your tooth Ashely" May said to the young girl. She turned to May and smiled up at her. 

"Thanks! That's my third tooth I've lost! It's cause I'm eight now."

"Oh are you? Wow!" Ashley giggled and returned to her pancakes. May grabbed some from the stack and began to eat when suddenly a little hand began pulling on her sleeve. She turned to see the youngest girl, Daisy, standing with her thumb in her mouth. May smiled down at her.

"Can I pwease sit wif you Miss May?" The girl mumbled adorably over her thumb.

"Why of course. Here, I saved a spot just for you." May patted the bench next to her that had until now remained empty. Daisy clambered up and smiled at May. 

"Do you want some pancakes Daisy?"

"Yes pwease" Daisy had now removed her thumb and grabbed the syrup. May set two pancakes on her plate and helped her pour syrup on them. Daisy scooted closer to May so that their knees were touching. By now, most of the older kids had finished their breakfast and had gone to play or back to their rooms. Daisy and May were the only ones on their side of the table, with Lance and Spencer on the other bench with Phil. The steady stream of kids entering the dining room had stopped and May noted that most of the older teenagers hadn't made an appearance, but of course Phil had mentioned that that was normal. 

May was almost finished with her breakfast when Daisy scooted even closer to May, and in doing so, knocked the open syrup bottle over. The sticky syrup spilled all over May's plate and her pants. Daisy gasped, absolutely terrified, and she quickly hopped off the bench, squealed "I'm sworry!!", and ran off. May stayed frozen for just a second, just enough time for Phil to stand up and begin to go after the distressed girl.

"No Phil, I've got this. I've got to prove to them that I'm not a threat." May stood up and took the offered washcloth from Lance, wiping as much syrup as she could off her pants. Phil took it from her and began to clean the table as May left to find Daisy, Lance and Spencer watching curiously as she went. 

May walked through the living room and to the steps. She has absolutely no idea where this girl would go for refuge, but a good first guess was her bedroom. At the top of the stairs, she passed the playroom where most of the girls seemed to be engaged in a heated game of Apples to Apples. She made it to Daisy's door, which was shut tight, and knocked gently. She could hear faint, muffled sniffles from inside and knew she has guessed correctly. 

"What?" answered a small British voice.

"Jemma? Is Daisy in there with you? I just want to talk to her. Is that ok? Can I come in?" May responded in a calm voice. The man silence seemed to stretch on forever, but finally Jemma answered.

"Fine. But I'm staying." May turned the knob and slipped into the room, shutting the door behind her. Jemma and Daisy were sitting on the bottom bunk of one of the two bunk beds. The room's setup looked very similar to the one next door, but had plenty of personal touches. May slid to the floor and rested an arm on the bed, looking at the girls.

"Daisy can we talk? I'm not mad at you, I swear. I just want to talk." Daisy raised her head from its previous place on her knees. She eyes May suspiciously and glanced at Jemma. The other girl shrugged. Daisy looked back at May and nodded slowly.

"Why are you not mad at me? I spilled. It made a mess, Miss May. I'm sworry." Daisy stuck her thumb in her mouth and pulled her knees closer to her chest.

"Everyone makes messes Daisy. It's ok. Phil and I cleaned it all up. How about you come back downstairs and finish breakfast?" Mat reached out and gently patted Daisy's foot. Daisy watched her hand closely and then looked back at the woman.

"I'm all done wif breakfast ." she murmured.

"Well ok then. In that case, do you two want to go play Apples to Apples in the playroom with me?" May stood up and held her hands out for the girls to take. Jemma's eyes seemed to light up and Daisy nodded hesitantly. They both clambered off the bed and accepted May's hand, following her to the hallway happily, the mishap at breakfast seemingly forgotten.


	5. Soccer and Science, Games and Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May gets to know more about the kids, slowly but surely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally!! Another chapter. You have no idea how hard it is to establish relationships between 24 different characters.  
> Anyway, please enjoy!

May seemed to fit right in at Bright Beginnings, despite her previous reservations about being accepted. Before she knew it, a week had gone by and she had gotten to know all 22 children a lot better. Even though some of the kids were in summer sports or activities, there was never a shortage of children in the house for May to bond with. She had developed a relationship with each of the kids, some much stronger than the others, but she's had been able to spend quality time with each of them at least once or twice.

Many of the kids were incredible wary of her, and they had done their best to avoid her altogether, but there were some kids who had approached her. Those were the ones that she had gotten to know first. She knew that the others would take time to trust her, or to even want to talk to her, so for the first couple days she ended up spending time mostly with the younger kids. 

Daisy had warmed up to her quickly after the incident at breakfast. The small girl had spent the entire day following May around the house, usually just quietly observerving whatever the older woman was doing. Sometimes she would grab another kid they passed and beg them to play a game with them, but it seemed that this was not an uncomm occurrance and many of the older kids gently reminded Daisy that she shouldn't ask people that when they are doing something else. She would nod and move along, following May as she travelled from room to room, trying to engage the kids. A little before lunch Daisy had succeeded in roping Lincoln, Lance, and Deke into a game of Chutes and Ladders. May was very politely invited to play along, and had happily accepted. That was how she learned that Lincoln had soccer practice twice a week during the summer and a game every weekend, Lance played baseball during the school year, and Deke had joined a Drama club at his elementary school and had been the lead in "Sleeping Beauty Kids" last year. All the boys seemed rather open to the idea of a new adult in the household, probably because they would stay more involved with Phil anyway. May had learned after one daring question that the topic of why the kids were in the home was best left for a couple weeks in the future. It was no matter anyway. Getting to know the kids, however superficially, was vital in gaining their trust. And they needed someone they could trust.

Lunch was another remarkably smooth meal. Through some feat of adorableness, Daisy had convinced Elena, Kate, and Tara to sit with them at lunch. They had talked to each other the entire time, obviously good friends. May had been content to observe the conversation, more than happy to learn things from the sideline. Afterwards they invited May and Daisy to a soccer game in the backyard. It went pretty well, despite the fact that both Elena and Kate were insanely fast, because they took pity on Daisy and were good sports, missing the ball dramtically as Daisy scored goals. 

Tara and May had decided to just watch from the sidelines, and there May had learned a lot about her. Tara's aunt was fighting for custody of her because her dad was arrested. Her social worker was optimistic that she could move in with her aunt within the month, and Tara was ecstatic. She hadn't been specific, but it was obvious that her home life wasn't the best.

Tara had quickly changed the topic once it became too personal, then explaining to May that Elena and Kate were on their school's track team and they ran every morning. That certainly explained the game in front of them. By the time that Daisy had tired out, it was almost 2pm, which according to Phil, was rest time for anyone under 12. The rest had to leave the bedroom floors and stay quiet. And so, May had led a tired Daisy to her room where Phil was waiting with the other girls. May then retreated to the main floor to give him room. It was as good a time as any to bond with some of the older kids. 

May had sat in one of the many chairs in the living room and browsed the stack of books next to her. There was no tv in the living room, sticking with the surprisingly tech free pattern she had noticed. Books were found in almost every room, which she definitely approved of. She appreciated the effort it took to entertain 22 kids with limited electronics.

Soon she was joined in the living room by Derek, Mack, and Grant, who had just gotten home from football practice. Grant had almost sat down before he saw May sitting in the chair by the fireplace and quickly changed his target to the stairs. He proceeded to shoot May a dirty look before descending. Mack and Derek seemingly ignored her, instead pulling out their phones. May had bookmarked her page and set it aside. Soon enough, she has engaged the boys in a quiet conversation about football. Both of the boys also did yard work to earn spending money over the summer. They took some time to open up, but after a while they were telling May things without her having to ask. They both agreed that Grant was easily the only kid in the house who was actually dangerous. Their casual tone was incredibly offputting. She made a mental note to keep the older boy a wide birth unless he approached her.

By the time it was 4, Mack and Derek had returned to their phones and May was almost finished with her book. Now a steady stream of kids waking up from naps or finally released from their room were flowing into the living room. Someone, probably Deke, had put on showtunes and a couple of the littles were dancing to Greatest Showman. Most of the kids had adjusted to the new member of the household impressively quickly. 

May was soon joined in the chair by Daisy, who excitedly recounted her fantastical dream she had had during her nap. May had listened, of course, but her attention had also been focused on Leo, Jemma, and Spencer, who were all sitting in the corner around a large book and whispering conspiratorialy. May had smiled at Daisy and shifted her off her lap. Daisy had taken the clue and got off the chair to allow May to move, only looking slightly disappointed. The older woman promised to return shortly and made her way over to the other children. The whispering had ceased immediately, but soon enough May had them chattering excitedly about a new wind powered energy collector that they were designing. It turned out that all three were infinitely smarter than May would ever have guessed. Their misgivings about trusting her were obvious, but she was proud that they were comfortable enough to geek out to her. Establishing a baseline about specific interests with the children was critical in forming eventual relationships. That was something she had picked up in her three years as a foster parent, and something she had become very good at. Kids, especially the young, and sadly, neglected, ones were always ecstatic to meet someone who was interested in them. 

\------

May spend the next few days seeking out kids and spending some quality time with them. Daisy seemed to never leave her side, and the "lil geeks", a name affectionately given to FitzSimmons and Spencer by a couple of the older kids, were always open to sharing their newest scientific discovery. She had been roped into several games of soccer in the backyard with Elena and Kate, and Mack and Derek always updated her on the new drama on the football team. 

One day she was approached by a very nervous Emily and asked to help her and Alex study for their Scholastic Bowl meet. She had quickly agreed and was once again surprised by the intellect of her young charges. Both of the girls also worked at the library, Emily as a volunteer, but Alex split her pay with the younger girl.  
Like the rest of the kids, she didn't learn any specifics about the circumstances of their presence at the home, but also like the rest of the kids, they seemed well adjusted. 

The same day May was challenged to a game of basketball by Matt and Luke. After noting the unfair teams, Bobbi was drafted to join her. With Bobbi's help, they easily beat the younger boys and they ended up sitting in the grass with popsicles and talking for quite a while. Matt played soccer during the school year while Luke played basketball and walked dogs during the summer. Bobbi, after some coaxing from May, had admitted that she took Martial Arts lessons weekly, as well as playing basketball and being on the Scholastic Bowl team, but only during the school year, she had pointed out, as if that would impress May less. 

One day during rest time May had been waking through the hallways on the girl's floor when she had heard quiet laughter from the "Blond" room. When she had opened the door, JJ and Penny had immediately quieted and looked at her with wide eyes, but May had just sat down next to them and joined in on their game of Guess Who. 

After a couple rounds, Penny had began to tell May of JJ's new soccer team she was on and how it was only for the best players in the state. JJ had smiled awkwardly at the praise and had given her friend a pointed glance, but May just smiled at her and offered soft words of praise right along side the colorful child. JJ returned the favor by talking animatedly about Pen's amazing "tech skills". This had launched the other girl on a long rant about this new application she had found to run searches online, and JJ had happily returned to being a quiet listener. 

By the end of the week, May had had conversations with each of the children, save Grant and Aaron of course. Aaron always seemed to be out of the house, and Grant avoided her like the plague, but both of those were to be expected. Aaron didn't seem to be pointedly avoiding her, just cautious, and May had heard plenty of rumors about Grant. With these facts in mind, May was overjoyed when both the boys joined her and a couple of the other teenagers on an interesting game of Exploading Kittens during rest time. Despite their silence for almost the entire game and their refusal to make eye contact, this sign of almost-acceptance of change was enough for May, at least for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was more exposition, but action and drama will be coming, especially now that I will be focusing more on certain characters & May. 
> 
> Another kid will also be joining the home soon. If you have read my other fics, I bet you can guess, because its my new favorite character lol. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Fights and Files

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May starts to see why these kids are considered "problems", and resolves to learn more.

The biggest question weighing on May's mind was why all of these kids were considered to be "problems". Sure they had their past traumas, and she had now found many kids crowded around another in the middle of the night after a nightmare, but they seemed like good kids, even Grant, who she had been warned about. Every so often someone would say something and she would be reminded about the ghosts in their past, but that was it. No one had ran away, gotten in too much trouble, or hurt another kid beyond regular standards. On one hand she suspected this was because they didn't want to scare May away. On the other, it could just be that Phil was so amazing and he was such a good influence that he was really helping these kids. In reality, May supposed it was a mixture of both. But in the end, May wasn't all that surprised when she heard shouting from the girl's lounge one day after lunch.

"If you don't get off of me right now, you're going to be limping for a week" a slightly British voice echoed through the halls.

"I'd like to see you try. You're such a shit head, Lance. You couldn't hurt me if you tried, and you're too much of a coward anyway." This voice May knew well, and as she hurried through the hallway toward the voices, she remembered the girl in question's claim that she was a tough fighter. 

"Bobbi, you know Phil doesn't like it when you cuss. Just get off of him" a younger female voice pleaded.

"Stay out of it Jayje. Get the littles out of here and tell Phil that if he ever wants to see Lance in one piece he might want to stay away too." 

"Bobbi, please don't hurt him"

"Out Jemma. You too Fitz, Daisy. Come on"

As May reached the room, she was met with JJ pulling a scared looking Jemma by the arm and Daisy and Leo trailing after them. They all looked up at May, then back at the room, and then took off down the stairs, calling Phil's name.

"Oy Bob, get offa me. I said I'm sorry."  
May entered the room just in time to see Bobbi adjusting her hold on a squirming Lance.

"Bobbi. Off." May moved so that Bobbi could see her, hoping that she would make eye contact, but the girl just ignored her.

"Sorry isn't enough Lance. You've done this before, you're so damn stupid."

"Bobbi! Language." May lowered her voice, using a tone she hadn't yet shown to these kids. Now Bobbi acknowledged her.

"Leave it May. This doesn't concern you. If you touch me, I can't promise I won't hurt you too." Bobbi growled. May raised her hands in front of her and slowly lowered herself to the girl's level.

"I'm not going to touch you, but you need to get off him. We can talk this out, but you can't hurt him." May kneeled a few feel behind Lance's head. Bobbi scowled.

"We can't talk it out. He never learns, and this might just be the best way to teach him."

"It ain't, Barbara. I know you might think so, but pain doesn't teach people anything except fear. You should know this." The boy's voice had gone very soft all of the sudden, and May just got more confused. Bobbi's grip on Lance's wrists weakened and she seemed to be trying to not cry.

"Bobbi? How about you tell me what you think he needs to learn, ok? I'm sure he will be happy to talk it out, right Lance?"  
May shifted closer, slowly reaching out toward Bobbi, but not touching her. The boy nodded emphatically.

"He has to stop! He's going to get hurt. He should just stay out of it." Bobbi muttered through gritted teeth. May looked up to see Phil standing in the doorway, but through a quick nonverbal conversation, he agreed to let her deal with this. He shifted to the couch behind Bobbi.

"Stop what, Bobbi?" May gently closed her hands around Bobbi's wrists, but made no move to do anything more. Bobbi began to cry.

"He's gonna get hurt. He keeps sticking up for me at Martial Arts lessons. He comes with so I don't walk home alone, but this kid could beat him to a pulp in a heartbeat. I can take care l myself. You need to stop Lance!" Bobbi sniffled and relaxed her grip on the boy even more.

"Bob, come on. I know you can take care of yourself. You took me down, for Christ's sake. I just don't want you to get hurt, just like you don't want me to get hurt. I'll stop if you really want me too, but the kids a jackass, sorry Phil, and he needs to learn to respect you. You could take him down in seconds." Bobbi looked down at Lance and sniffles some more. She closed her eyes for a long moment, before releasing him and sliding off his stomach. Lance got up and straightned his clothes before reaching out to Bobbi for a hug, but was inturupted by Phil grabbing his arm. They made eye contact and the boy nodded, instead standing next to Phil as May moved to Bobbi. 

"Lance how about you and I go talk downstairs about this bully you mentioned. You can check on Bobbi later. I don't want to leave Aaron and Alex in charge of all the kids for too long." Phil shot May an encouraging smile before leaving the room, Lance following with one last concerned look over his shoulder. May settled herself next to the Bobbi as they both rested against the couch. 

"We don't have to talk about this right now, but we do eventually, ok Bobbi? I'm worried about you, and so is Phil, and so is Lance. Probably a lot of other people too. We all care about you." May was hesitant to initiate physical contact, so when Bobbi shuffled closer to her, the older woman was relieved and took it as a sign that she was comfortable with contact. May reached her arm around around the girl's shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief when she relaxed into her grip. 

"I'm sorry, Miss May. I.... I just.. I don't know" Bobbi sniffled again, wiping away tears angrily.

"I know. You know, when a child endures violence from someone they are supposed to love and trust at a young age, they usually grow up seeing violence as a a way to solve problems, or even as an expression of love."

"I know. That's what the shrink that Phil makes us all see. He's smart, but he doesn't really understand. I guess it's hard to invest in the problems of twenty kids, for both Dr Garner and Phil."

"Yeah, I bet. He tried his best though, right? Phil, I mean."

"Yeah. Yeah, he's great. I had a few fosters before him but they didn't keep me around for long. I've been here for almost two years now. I can't believe Phil put up with me for so long. Maybe..." she trailed off, obviously rethinking her intended statement. 

"Maybe....? Audrey?" May inquired.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I'm smart. Bobbi, Phil doesn't put up with you, he loves you. All of you. And so do I. Audrey probably did too. I know you all claim to be the problem kids, but I think you are all amazing kids. Only people with real courage could live through what you all have and still be kind, compassionate, loving children." Bobbi eyed May suspiciously, obviously doubting what she said. 

"I'm serious Bobbi. Only someone with so much love in their heart would look out for Lance like that, even if you were a little misguided in your methods. And we can work on that, ok?" May rubbed Bobbi's leg with her free hand and smiled at her.

"Yeah. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I don't mean to hurt him, I promise."

"I know sweetheart. I know."

\-------

A full hour later Bobbi had fallen asleep against May's side. She was fully worn out emotionally and after lots of reassurance from May, had allowed herself to slip off into a dreamless sleep. May shifted her so that she was laying on the floor before placing a pillow from the couch under her head and slowly slipping out into the hallway. She was pretty sure that Phil had told the kids to stay off the top floor to give them privacy, so the lack of children in the hallway wasn't altogether surprising.

May descended the stairs and went in search of Phil. She was met with a couple concerned stares from smaller children and a couple more nervous looks from the older ones. She just gave them all a reassuring smile and squeezes Lance's shoulder when she passed him on the way to the kitchen. Not surprisingly, May found Phil cooking in the kitchen. He heard her come in and immediately stopped what he was doing.

"She asleep?" He asked, setting down the spoon he was holding.

"Yeah. Wore herself out. She's on the floor." May leaned agaisnt the wall and looked at Phil.

"I'll go move her to her bed. This isn't the first time something like this has happened you know. She's a good kid, just a little..." Phil trailed off.

"Yeah I know. She kept saying she was sorry. She was really only trying to help."

"I know Mel. I hope you don't think I'm going to react negatively to this. So far we seem to have the same method of discipline and dealing with things, but this is a whole new ball field, so I was hoping that you and I could talk tonight and agree on how we will deal with stuff like this before we really talk to Bobbi and Lance."

"Good. Because we also need to talk about something else." May said, only to be met by a blank look from Coulson, so she continued. "I know you said that you weren't going to tell me about any of the kids and that I should find things out myself, and I agree with that on some level, but I don't have access to their records and I need to know their history Phil. So I was hoping that you could either give me access to their files or let me in on exactly why these kids are in this house. I respect you guarding their privacy, but if I'm going to help them, I need to know more" 

"Ok. Yeah, I can do that. I wasn't trying to hide things from you, sorry. So, talk about that tonight?" Phil questioned as he finished cleaning up the kitchen.

"Perfect." 

"Perfect" Phil stood awkwardly in front of May, smiling at her.

"Ok." May responded, smirking back at him. 

"Cool" Phil stammered. 

"Cool" May rolled her eyes. 

"I'm.. I'm gonna go move Bobbi." Phil shuffled past, leaving a still smirking May alone in the kitchen.


	7. Foster Homes and Runaways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil makes good on his promise to show May the files

Later that night, after all the kids were asleep, or at least in their rooms, May knocked softly on Phil's door. 

"Come in" a tired voice muttered. May opened the door and slipped inside, finding Phil digging through cardboard boxes in his closet. "Just getting those files. You can sit down on the bed. It's kind of a disaster, sorry." 

May shoved clothes off the bed and onto a nearby table before settling on the bed, calmly watching Phil. He made a small noise of triumph when he finally pulled a stack of files from the bottom of a box. Smiling at May, he sat down in front of her and set the files in between them.

"So."

"So." May echoed, smirking.

"I didn't mean to keep the files from you, I swear, I just--" Phil rushed before being cut off.

"I know Phil. It's fine. Just tell me what I need to know."

"Right. Right. Well. All the kids have a pretty dark history, which is why they are here, but some are worse than others. I thought we could start with Bobbi, because of the incident, and then work oldest to youngest. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect." May adjusted herself so she was leaning against the headboard. Phil nodded and pulled a file from the stack, sliding it to May.

"Bobbi was put into foster care when she was 7, after police found her and a couple of other kids living in an abandoned shed. After some investigation, they learned that she ran away from home 6 months earlier after mom left. Her dad was physically abusive and hurt Bobbi, her mom, and her younger brother. The mom left and took the brother with, leaving Bobbi to the dad's mercy. When the police found her, she had multiple broken bones and injuries that were not treated. Before here, she had 4 foster homes, all of which she spent no more than 5 months at because she would run away or hurt the other kids in the house. She was sent here right after she turned 9 and she hasn't run away in over a year, and hasn't lain a finger on anyone except Lance or me in over 8 months. Her and Lance have a special bond. They understand each other." 

May nodded along the entire time, skimming the file as Phil talked. It wasn't anything that she hadn't expected, but it hurt nonetheless. 

"Fair warning. The next 22 will be just as long. I'd rather talk you through them, but you can just read the files if you like."

"Nope. I need to hear it from you. Hit me."

"Alright. Here's Aaron." Phil slid another file to May, and continued.

"Aaron's been here for 3 years. This is his 4th home, he's been in foster care since he was 12. His mom left him and his dad and brother when they are both really young, and his dad turned out to be a really violent drunk. He put up with it for a while before his dad started hitting his brother too, so he reported it to the police and they were put into foster care. His brother is pretty upset about it and they haven't talked in 2 years. Aaron used to be violent, but recently his bark is worse than his bite. He's a really good kid, if only he would talk to me once and a while about what he was feeling."

\-----

"Alex's parents were put in jail for conspiracy against the government when she was 10 and she had been here since then. She's been here longer than me, before it was a big home. She really wanted to be adopted when she was younger, but now she is more than happy to be the home's resident big sister, and she is really good at it."

\----- 

"Grant, and I hate to say this, is dangerous. He's only been here a year and has threatened every single kid he's come into contact with. His older brother abused him and his younger brother while his parents did nothing, and when the older brother killed the younger brother, Grant was put here. I tried to get him into a more secure home after he tried to hurt Mack, but they can't do anything about it."

\-----

"Tara is a temporary. You know that. She's been here 4 months while her dad is under investigation for aggravated assault charges."

\-----

"Kate has been here for two years. This is her 7th home since she was 10, when her parents died in a car crash. In the beginning she ran away almost every day, trying to visit her younger sister who is also in the system, but I really think she's come to see this place as home. We are working on getting her sister moved here or at least to a home closer to us, but it isn't going very well. They get monthly visits, so at least there's that."

\-----

"Elena lived on the street from when she was 10 until Mack found her in a convenience store a year ago and managed to convince her to live with us. She didn't like it at first, but her and Mack have become best friends and there's no separating them."

\------

"Mack had been here for two years. He had an abusive step-father, but Social Services got him out of the house fast. This is actually his first home and is mostly here because he was so physically intimidating. Foster parents were scared of him, but honestly he's just a fuzzy little teddy bear. Don't tell him I said that."

\-----

"Matt was found on the streets when he was 12. This was his first home too. We get a lot of the street kids because they are so fiercely independent. I'll show you Luke's file now too. He was found with Matt. They together lived in a empty warehouse with a couple other boys after they were both kicked out of their homes."

\-----

"Emily has been here two years. She was put into foster care when she was three after her parents died, but nothing really ever worked out. A lot of the homes were abusive. Emotionally, physically, sexually. You name it. She's been here two years and has been making great progress, but is still a little guarded. I can't blame her, honestly."

\-----

"Derek's been here two years as well. He experienced some pretty awful sexual abuse and was put into foster care when he was 8, where he bounced from home to home for a while. He's doing really well here, if I do say so myself"

\-----

"Lance was taken out of his dad's care after police found him locked outside during the winter. His dad was drunk and had forgotten about him. He was put into a lot of homes, but had a rebellious streak a mile long and was sure he could take better care of himself than any foster parents. He's been here for three years."

\-----

"Pennelope's parents gave her up to the foster system when she was a baby because they couldn't financially support her. They fully intended on coming back for her and her brother, but they ended up dying in a car accident. She's diagnosed with a plethora of emotional disorders and nobody kept her around for long, but she's been here for three years now."

\-----

"Deke was put into foster care after his parents decided they couldn't support his medical bills anymore. He was in a mental hospital for almost a year before he came here 4 years ago. The state pays for most of his medicine and treatment, and sometimes get donations from his biological family."

\-----

"JJ's older sister committed suicide when she was 3 and her parents couldn't deal with the presence of a toddler and cope with the loss. She went through a lot of foster homes, most of them abusive, before she came here. She's been here for almost nine months and is easily the newest except Tara. We don't get a lot of new kids except temporaries, for obvious reasons."

\-----

"Ashley came here after her father was put in jail. Her mom left when she was 4 and her dad made some pretty poor decisions. She's been here for almost a year, after a couple failed foster homes."

\-----

"Lincoln's dad is also in jail, but he's been here for almost two years. His dad was charged with sexually assaulting a teenager girl, so he was taken out of the home. Lincoln was also pretty violent, so he went from foster to foster for almost a year before coming here."

\-----

"Jemma and Fitz came together a year ago, after their parents died in a plane crash. They were good friends beforehand and were kept together by some miracle. Fitz is almost completely nonverbal, but he and Jemma are practically inseparable."

\-----

"Spencer's mom was put in a mental hospital when he was two. The fosters he was placed with at first were scared by his mind and his past, so they gave him up almost right away. He's been here for a year."

\-----

"Daisy has been in foster care for her entire life. She was in an orphanage for a while, staying with fosters every so often, but the place was closed due to allegations of abuse, so she came here instead. Next week will be the one year mark."

\-----

By the time May and Phil got to the bottom of the pile of files, the room had grown noticeably darker. It had easily been two hours, and both of them seemed exhausted. 

"I'm sorry to lay it all on you like that. You can take the files to your room if you want to look them over in more detail. Lots of kids, lots of stories, you know? It's a bit overwhelming to be honest with you."

"I'm not surprised. I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it. I'm glad you showed these to me. It's a big help. I'll take them and look over them tomorrow night, if that works."

"Sounds perfect. Now I don't know about you, but I'm wiped." Phil set to work collecting the files and putting them back into the box. May stood up and stretched.

"Yeah. Me too. See you tomorrow I guess."

"Goodnight May." Phil handed her the box as May opened the door. 

"Goodnight Phil."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was weird and choppy again, but I felt it was important plot-wise.


	8. Soccer and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens at one of JJ's soccer games that leaves the young blond with more secrets than she can handle.

Weeks passed and May became more and more acclimated with the children and their schedule. For example, every Friday she would drive Bobbi to and from Martial Arts class, as to avoid any unpleasant encounters with a certain boy. Similarly, she drove JJ and whichever kids were interested to her soccer games every weekend. Sometimes they had to leave on Friday to make it to her away games, but usually they took the smaller 8-passenger mini-van and went to her games that were close by. They had another van that could transport up to 15 people, but that was usually reserved for larger occasions, and even then they still needed to use both vans. 

This particular Saturday, JJ had a game in the next town over, so May had volunteered to take some kids to watch. An hour before the game, May was corralling the kids to the van. Most the them were busy or had chosen to stay home, so it was just JJ, Alex, Spencer, and Daisy. Stocked up with snacks, water, and folding chairs, the group drove the twenty minutes to the soccer field in relative quiet. 

Once at the field, Alex took Spencer and Daisy to a nearby playground to play until the game started while May set up the chairs and JJ began to warm up with her teammates. This routine was normal. In fact, the game itself was pretty normal too. JJ scored four goals and her team won. Halfway through Daisy became antsy and Alex took her back to the park. Spencer finished his book. It wasn't until May couldn't find JJ after the game did the routine differ. 

\------

After scouring the fields and playground, a very nervous and slightly angry May found the girl in question behind the bathrooms. It took everything in her power not to raise her voice as she led JJ back to the van, but the look in the girl's eyes made it clear that she knew she was in trouble. And, in the end, it was that knowledge that made her break the tense silence.

"I'm really sorry Miss May. I didn't mean to make you mad, I promise." JJ said from the seat behind May. Alex was in the passenger seat, earbuds in, and Daisy had fallen asleep in her car seat next to JJ. The only one they had to worry about overhearing was Spencer, but he was already engrossed in his book. May had gotten over her initial panic, but the frustration still remained. She did recognize, however, that the girl was smart enough to not do it again, so May was feeling forgiving.

"I know JJ. You just scared me is all. You could have been hurt, or worse. I had to leave the other kids to come find you. They are my responsibility too, you know."  
May glanced in the rear view mirror to see JJ picking at her nails.

"Yes ma'am, I understand. I'm sorry."  
she muttered. May smiled slightly at her.

"It's alright, kid. Just don't do it again."   
JJ nodded quickly in response. "What were you doing back there anyway?"

"I made a friend. She said she couldn't talk to me out by the fields, so we went back there." The girl seemed to perk up at the mention of her friend.

"A girl your age?" JJ nodded. "Why couldn't you talk by the fields?" May inquired.

"I dunno. I wanted to play with her and she just said that it had to be in private." 

"What was her name? How old was she?" May asked.

"Piper. She's eleven. She's really nice, May. You think I might see her again if we have another game there?" JJ asked excitedly.

"Maybe."

\-----

When they returned to Bright Beginnings, May told Phil about the incident, who then talked to JJ about it, but in the end, everything was back to normal by that evening. Saturday nights were game nights, so all of the kids, even those who would rather be anywhere else, gathered in the living and dining room to play different board and card games. By the time they all went to bed, the incident at the soccer field was basically forgotten.

Life continued as normal all week until late Wednesday night when the house was quiet, most of the kids asleep save a few stragglers that were returning from evening activities. May was seated in the living room, reading and Phil was downstairs making the rounds and checking that everyone who should be in bed was. Because of this, no one noticed as JJ slipped out the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little cliffhanger. I was going to make this chapter longer but I wanted to update ASAP.   
> Also, Piper!!! She's my favorite AoS character!


	9. Story Ending

I'm really really sorry to do this, but as I tried to write the next chapter, I realized that this story just has too many characters for me to give all the children the justice and attention that they deserve. I am going to have to discontinue the story, at least for now.

That being said, I do want to let you know what would have happened next at least: Piper, the little girl from the soccer field, shows up at their doorstep and May and Coulson learn that she is homeless and that JJ has been sneaking out to bring her food, etc. Eventually Piper would be put into the custody of Phil and May.

I do intend to begin a foster care story with a smaller number of characters to make it a little more manageable. I already have some ideas, but if anyone would like to see specific characters from this story reappear in the next, please let me know.

Ps. I am currently rewatching Criminal Minds, so it will probably be focused around them, but 🤷 I love Agents of Shield, it's just been a while since I've watched it. And now that CoronaBreak is here, I have more time.

**Author's Note:**

> I always appreciate critiques and advice!


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